


Now you're just a memory

by darthmel



Category: Destiny (Video Games)
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-26
Updated: 2019-05-26
Packaged: 2020-03-17 22:29:29
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 738
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18973810
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/darthmel/pseuds/darthmel
Summary: Just a small one shot I wrote a while back after the trailers about Cayde's death dropped. Orion-11 is a male hunter that had a crush on his vanguard and never got to tell him how he felt.





	Now you're just a memory

Orion-11 walks through the tower, but he feels zombified. Pretty ironic for a guardian, he thinks. He doesn’t really pay attention to the looks people give him when he walks past them. They’re looks of compassion, of a grief that’s supposed to be shared. Orion has turned off the invisible cameras that allow him to see without optics. He just uses his sensors to get where he wants to go. He has refused to see since… well since he brought back the dead body of his vanguard from the Tangled Shore. He doesn’t want to deal with these emotions, he knows he’s very sensitive and will end up sobbing as soon as someone will lay a hand on his shoulder. So he just keeps himself busy, he takes every single bounty he can find and never stays at the tower more than one hour.

He avoids the ramen shop. The smell of it alone brings back too many memories. They’re fond memories, Cayde-6 telling the tales of his favorite guardian while stuffing his robotic face with noodles. Orion-11 used to feel so embarrassed, because he felt those tales were always greatly exaggerated. “Stop beating yourself up” Cayde-6 would say. “You’re a hero, the vanguard envies you. Zavala is very proud of you. Ikora tells everyone you’re her friend. Hell, I constantly remind everyone that the guardian that took down Ghaul, well he was a hunter. Believe in yourself, Orion, and the world may never know darkness again.”

Orion has spiraled into his memories without realising it. He sits by the pole he would always find Cayde leaning against. His face slips into his hands. He’s always more or less accepted the fact that he is an exo. There is no reversing the situation anyways. And being a robot is kind of cool. But right now, he hates it. He has no eyes to cry with. He wishes the tears could flow once more, so he could finish grieving. But he’ll always be holding it inside. He could sob but it would never feel truly satisfying. And he won’t have any exo vanguard to share his problems with anymore. No one understands what they’re going through. But Cayde, he got it, they spent nights at the bar, raising questions about their existences, who they were, before. That word had such a weird ring to it when they pronounced it, it was like talking about ancient times in a very mystical way. He remembered the look in Cayde’s eyes when he would say it, like he was talking about a treasure chest that could never be found, lost forever with the rest of their human parts.

He feels someone approaching and sitting besides him. He wanted to be alone but you never really are at the tower, so he could only blame himself.

“How are you holding up, guardian?” Orion recognizes the deep voice to be Shaxx’s.

“How does it look like?” says the hunter, feeling pathetic. He immediately hates himself for being so rude. “Sorry. I miss him, is all.”

“We all do, Orion. He was the soul of the tower, the gatherer of misfits, and the worse gambler there was.” Orion could hear the faint smile in the lord’s voice.

“You see, I’ve slain worm gods and bad guys, I’ve seen so many things, explored so many planets and yet I’ve never worked the courage to tell him how I felt. Now it’s too late.”

“Love can be terrifying, guardian. You can’t hate yourself for that.”

“It should have been me. I should have died there.”

“The Barons would have killed you both. We wouldn’t have been able to afford losing two of our favorite guardians.”

Orion just hums as a response. Shaxx stands up.

“Come on. What do you say about a bit of Crucible? It’ll keep our minds busy. One on one, the winner buys ramen for the other, in memory of our friend.”

The titan extended a hand and helped Orion up.

“Okay, but only if I can use my light to kick your ass.”

“Of course. Where would be the fun without that?”

Orion’s ghost, who has been quiet for a while, gravitates towards Shaxx.

“Thank you.” he whispers. Earlier, he had sent a message for Shaxx to come over and get his guardian out of his misery. Lately, even the little light’s cheerful personality has not been enough.

“No problem.” Shaxx replies softly.


End file.
